Thermal Comfort Analysis of Residential Home in Coastal City Based on Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) Index and Operative Temperature Zone

Abstract

Hot and humid tropical conditions in the coastal city have specific problems with the building thermal comfort. An important fact in creating thermal comfort is strongly influenced by two main factors that are the thermal environment and thermal balance of the human body. The differences in physical adaptation, physiological adaptation, behavior, and expectation of each human make thermal comfort varied as well. This research aim is to find out the level of thermal comfort for living home in the coastal city based on physiological equivalent temperature (PET) index and operative temperature zone. The research used simulation methods with RayMan software to analyze the thermal comfort of outdoor space and CBE Thermal Comfort to analyze the thermal comfort of indoor space. There are 4 (four) different subjects simulated in this research. The results showed that the condition could be categorized as comfortable if the thermal sensation is in a neutral position with a PET index of 20.5 – 27.0 and operative temperature zone at 22.8-28.8°C. Effective thermal comfort only happened in a short period. The 2nd floor is more comfortable for activity, and old female subjects need special attention to reach thermal comfort.